The next-generation Case IH Axial-Flow combine harvester and STEYR Plus tractor have won the internationally-acclaimed Red Dot Design award for product design. Judged annually, this award is one of the world’s largest design competitions, and its label has become established internationally as one of the most sought-after marks of quality for good design.
Core details of the new Case IH AF series Axial-Flow were revealed at Agritechnica 2023, and the new combine recently made its full global debut in North America. It is designed with a renewed focus on helping users to maximize output per engine, hour while minimizing losses and grain damage, retaining the proven Axial-Flow principle of rotary threshing and separation.
Major advances in the new AF include a 775hp engine, an active dynamic cleaning system, 20,000-litre grain tank, 210 litres/second unloading rate and headers of up to 15m (50ft). Users benefit from AFS Harvest Command, to minimize losses, maximize throughput and protect grain quality, helping users get even more from their combine.
The new technology is packaged within a fresh Axial-Flow style that introduced a new look to the range, designed to show that this is a very different class of combine. The design team from Case IH and its parent CNH will receive the Red Dot Design award for the AF at a special ‘Red Dot: Best of the Best’ ceremony, to be held in Essen, Germany, on June 24.
“The receipt of a Red Dot Design Award is a great honor for the design team behind the new Axial Flow,” says David Wilkie, industrial design director at Case IH parent CNH.
“We wanted to create a look that showed this combine is much more than a refresh of existing ideas in terms of internal engineering, and is something really very different. I’m really pleased the Red Dot jury recognized our efforts to create a style that matches the Axial-Flow AF’s considerable substance.”
Tractor design recognized
With five new four-cylinder tractors, also the STEYR Plus tractor received the highly coveted Red Dot award. The STEYR Plus combines innovative styling and technology with a long-respected name recognized by STEYR enthusiasts. The styling is designed to underpin the product quality customers expect of STEYR and brings practical benefits. Integrated road/work lights reduce operator fatigue and help work more safely. Styling of the Plus also matches the technology within the tractors, bringing to this power level a full array of precision farming technology including S-Guide steering automation and S-Fleet telematics, easing customer workloads via automation.
“It’s really pleasing to see the importance of tractor design recognised in this way,” David Wilkie continues. “STEYR is synonymous with high-quality, high-technology tractors, and this award acknowledges the importance of styling to complement those attributes.”
